How do individual cells in k-space correspond to pixels in an image?

In MRI, k-space is a frequency domain representation of the image being acquired. Each individual cell in k-space contains information about both the amplitude and phase of the signal, which all contribute to the final image construction. When an MRI scan is performed, data are collected in k-space and then transformed into the image domain through a mathematical process called the inverse Fourier transform.

Every pixel in the resulting image is indeed influenced by multiple k-space cells, since the Fourier transform combines signals from various frequencies and phases to create a single pixel value. This means that the data represented in k-space provides both spatial frequency components and the overall structural information needed to form the complete image. Thus, each pixel is reconstructed using contributions from a range of k-space cells, emphasizing the interconnected nature of spatial and frequency information in MRI imaging.

This understanding clarifies that while there is a correspondence between k-space and image pixels, it relies on a collective interpretation of data rather than a one-to-one relationship.